Discussion: The War On Drugs, Legalization of Marijuana, The Opioid Crisis, and Other Drug Issues

We won't really know until Trump announces his cabinet. Trump likely doesn't care but the people in the running for attorney general have a history of being anti-legalization. He ran on a platform of law and order and Guiliani or Christie will likely be salivating at the opportunity to showcase this with marijuana legalization. The only reason we are even talking about legalization now is because the justice department has turned a blind eye to state legalization the last eight years.

 

Because the smell of burnt hamburgers and farts are so arousing?

 

There's no smell with edibles, tinctures, or when using a vaporizer.

For those rookies who haven't fallen in love the minty skunk smell.

 

I wonder how Trump will be when it comes to Marijuana. Thankfully it seems like he is dumping Mr Hard on Weed Chris Christie but I still wonder if he will want to look like he is "tough on crime" and going after marijuana is what Nixon and Reagan did to try gain credibility in that regard

 

There would be a huge backlash.

Recreational cannabis is now legal for 25% of the population. Nationally 60% of the US population supports legal recreational cannabis.

Medical cannabis is legal in half the country. Nationally it has approval around 85%.

A crackdown would back fire big time, basically political suicide.

 

Only reason I'm hopeful on this is Christie is gone and Guiliani wants SoS. At this point the only reasonable decision I expect Trump to make is to leave this decision up to the states. But then I wouldn't put it past Trump to go for political suicide. Not that I'm surprised but every rumored pick he's had for his cabinet has been awful so I'm not expecting much from his Attorney General pick.

 

Yeah if Sessions' nomination goes through the DEA is going to crack down immediately. He is very anti marijuana legalization so pretty much the only decent thing to come out of this election for me in California is over before it was ever implemented.

 

A lot of the focus with Sessions has been on his racial issues, but his hardline stance on marijuana could potentially cause even more immediate problems if he gets the job, especially coming right after major victories for legalization in this election. It will be interesting to see how Mister Populist States Rights Trump handles this situation.

 

I can guarantee if Jeff Sessions is AG then legal mj is a thing of the past. He will shut it all down.

 

It won't be a thing of the past.

It will create millions of pissed off cannabis activists overnight and 4 years later the Democrats will make it a wedge issue and will promise to legalize federally if elected.

and they will.

Keep in mind, even if the AG has a crackdown the state laws will still have cannabis legal when he leaves.

 

I don't think they will campaign on a national legalization. More likely to campaign on honoring states rights.

 

Democrats can't run on states rights.

That means their cool with segregation, anti-abortion laws, anti-gay laws, no federal minimum wage, etc.

 

Everybody loves States Rights when it favors them, but hates it when it doesn't. lol

At least Democrats don't claim how they love States Rights when they on the campaign trail and do it more at an issue by issue basis

 

sure they can. it's not an all or nothing situation. also a lot of people who vote conservative/libertarian would get behind a national effort to change the classification to that resembling alcohol and tobacco. Taxed and regulated, sold to 21 and up, it saves taxpayers' money,takes money out of the pockets of criminals and reduces the number of people in jail and prison. it's a win/win.

 

Descheduling cannabis is different from becoming full blown states' rights advocates.

Liberals could definitely put descheduling cannabis on their platform without much backlash politically.

 

Sessions won't care. I guarantee most of Trump's cabinet are not going to care about conflicting opinions, they're going to follow their own agenda.

Although the GOP would take a huge political hit if Sessions reignited the hardline approach to MJ. That will cost them dearly in 2018 and 2020.

 

They can't run on states rights but they can sure as hell point out the hypocrisy of Republicans infringing upon states rights while putting on the face of being the party of states rights. I just love how only a few days ago I was looking at Guiliani, Cruz or Christie as a worst case scenario but Trump managed to nominate an even bigger piece of garbage than those three.

 

Actually, ever since cannabis became legal in certain states it seems like Republicans scream "states rights" less and less.

Or maybe it's just my imagination.

 

Well you still hear them cry states rights when pushing social issues

 

Hope they don't legalize cannibalism.

Get the joke folks? bit of political humor.

 

Ireland is actually making moves on Medical Cannabis. Holy s~!].

http://www.thejournal.ie/medicinal-cannabis-bill-3112096-Nov2016/

It still has hurdles to get over before being signed into law, but the odds look really good.

 

That's why they won't do it. Why risk so much political capital for something they know doesn't pose an imminent health risk? The tide has turned on the pot issue. People are either disinterested in it as an issue or widely in favor of it's decriminalization. Those in power know that it's one of those issues that will bring out young voters and be of little consequence to others... there's a whole lot of downside and not much upside.

I live in Nevada, and I think pot was the big reason why it didn't go red with Michigan, Pennsylvania, etc.

 

Spicer: Expect to see 'greater enforcement' of federal marijuana law

 

They are mostly blue states of course.

Trump supporters kept saying he would respect states rights when it came to cannabis. They're new to this whole authoritarian/fascism thing.

 

Because the War on Drugs was so successful the first 2 times we did it